Page 85 of The Brigadier
“Enough, with more coming.”
Sighing, I noticed odd movement coming from the back corridor, which likely led to the emergency exit.
I gave up my weapon without fighting him but would be quickly prepared to take it back. If nothing else, I liked the gun, an old favorite of mine and I didn’t plan on leaving without it.
And you bet I was returning home.
To my woman.
Now I liked the possessive nature in my attitude. Chantel was mine.
“You do realize what I’m capable of. Yes? Even if you get away with this today, Vadim, Aleksander, and about two hundred others will send out word to hunt you down at all costs. Nomatter where you go. No matter what rock you crawl under. So, plan a long-term trip to the moon.”
Maxim snickered and Tanner had the barrel of his weapon pointed at the man’s head in a split second.
“I’d shut up if I were you,” Tanner hissed. “I hold all the cards.”
“Where is the girl?” I asked, trying to keep my tone as calm as possible.
When I turned around, I smiled. For some reason, Tanner was gritting his teeth. I truly wondered how long this had been going on. Not that it mattered at this point.
Yet a nagging remained. What was really going on here? I did my best to remain observant, not allowing my anger to get in the way.
“It doesn’t matter. Does it?” he asked, half laughing.
Being angry wasn’t going to solve anything. “I suppose not. So what’s the plan, Tanner? You kill my men and take me to whoever this great boss is?”
“Pretty much,” he said. He was sweating like a pig, another indication he wasn’t entirely comfortable with what he was doing.
The other soldiers were waiting like statues, but I sensed at least three of them had itchy fingers. There was no way of telling who they were working for, including by complexions or hair color. Granted, obtaining decent soldiers in any syndicate wasn’t like the old days either, which meant you only hired within your nationality. If that was the case, there wouldn’t be enough men to serve as hired guns.
Or in my case, qualified employees.
A slight creak drew Maxim’s attention. I could tell by the flash in his eyes, but no one else had witnessed it.
A strange sense of vibrations crawled up my back. My instincts weren’t just spot on. They were never wrong. Within the regime of three basic leaders, we’d developed a perception that some might call supernatural. Whatever the case, in working together, sharing our private lives including drinking over football games and basketball, and even commiserating over our hungers for women, we’d learned to sense each other’s presences.
It was time to turn the tables.
“You know,” I said, noticing he still had my weapon in his hand, the other two placed on a sales counter. “A wise man once told me that when a snake rears its ugly head to strike, they are no longer useful.”
Tanner laughed, as I knew he would. “I am a snake but I assure you, I’m still very useful. And poisonous.”
There was an electric vibe in the air and I took that to mean my good buddy had been concerned enough, he’d followed me. Needless to say, Vadim followed no one’s orders or even requests. Especially when he believed treachery was involved. However, I had the distinct feeling we were still outnumbered. One could only hope for a miracle and that wasn’t like me in the least.
But then Vadim appeared out of the shadows, locking eyes with mine briefly and I grinned.
The cracking noise brought a strange look to Tanner’s face and he paled significantly.
That’s the moment I noticed the quick look of fear on the man.
Vadim wasn’t into wasting time, especially since this wasn’t within our territories. He gave me a nod that I knew far too well, one the three of us hadn’t cared to share with anyone. Now I fully understood why.
What was the old expression? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Or maybe I should say, never assume anyone is who they tell you they are. As I’d learned a long time ago, anyone could be bought. Did that mean this one wasn’t painful, very personal?
Time to get this moving.
“Drop and roll,” I told my other two men as gunshots starting flying. They did as I asked while I crawled toward the counter, easily reaching for and grabbing my favorite weapon.